Moving Philadelphia

Good morning!

I was reading this morning in the first two chapters of Numbers.  (I can hear you chortling ... Numbers?!)

Have you ever thought about how the People of Israel, right after their deliverance from Egypt, "got their act together"?  I had never really given it much thought.  The book of Numbers is in the Bible to help us understand.

God is a master organizer, among His many, other talents.  (How do you number the abilities of the One who can literally "do anything and everything"?)  The children of Israel were a nomadic people after they left Egypt, and they were "led and fed" by the hand of God.  He caused nourishment to fall from the skies at the same time every morning.  Exodus 16:4 - - "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from Heaven for you.' "  Wow, I could really digress here, but will save that for another blog post.

Have you ever wondered how well over 1.5 million people moved around from place to place?  The answer is:  God gave them their camping and "marching orders";  and, those are recorded in the early chapters of the book of Numbers.

I marvel at the continuity of the Chosen People, over the centuries, whether all together in one country, or dispersed, as they are today.  Do you ever hear anyone say, "I am an Assyrian?" Although that empire endured for over 1900 years, it is now gone.  How about "I am a Babylonian?"  Babylon is no more, neither is that people group, with its distinct customs and religious laws.

God has supernaturally preserved the Jew and the Jewish religion, as well as Jewish writings (including the New Testament), down through the centuries.  Praise Him!

A census was taken by tribe, at the beginning of the second year in the Sinai desert. In chapter 1, verses 5-16, we read that one man was chosen from each of the 12 tribes, to count his own tribe of people.  The total number of 11 tribes was 603,550 men (vs. 32 of chapter 2).  Wait a minute! There were 12 tribes, right?  Yes, but for some mysterious reason, God chose not to count the Levites.  Why?  I don't know.  That's another question for another day.  But, He didn't "number" them in the total.

The Levites, as you will recall from previous blog posts, were the priests and the caretakers of the "temple".  In those early days, there was no actual temple building.  The whole group of Israelites lived in tents, which they set up, packed up, toted around and then set up again.  There was a special tent for the housing of the Ark of the Covenant and religious artifacts.  This was the center of the camp and the place they gathered for worship.  The Levites camped around the special worship tent, to control the people's access.  In vs. 53 of ch. 1, we see the God specified the Levites do this "so that wrath will not fall on the community of Israel" (Message version).  In the Message version, this tent was called, "The Dwelling of the Testimony".

One big, continuous camping trip....for years, and years and years.  Not my thing, frankly, but it was God's plan for them.

So, how did they get from place to place, and what's all this about "Moving Philadelphia" in the title?  God specified for the people a particular campsite arrangement and marching order.  They always moved in this order.  The tribe of Dan always "brought up the rear", for instance.  The tribe of Judah, which was camped to the east toward the sunrise, always led the march.  Do you remember that Jesus's mother was from the tribe of Judah?  He is called by many names, one of which is "The Lion of the Tribe of Judah".

This census ONLY counted the fighting men, men over the age of 20 and able to fight.  So, there were 603,550 soldiers in the count.  This does not include wives or children, widows or the elderly, OR the Levites.  It is entirely possible that there were over 1.5 million Israelites at this time.

It helps me, with big numbers, to find a frame of reference.  The whole group of Israelites at this time would be about the same number of people as are in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Is it any wonder that God had to intervene to organize this massive people?  They had only the mouth-to-mouth and written communications, you know.  No cellphones.

Our family has a big day today: 3 of us will return to the campus of a local college, either as a student or a professor.  I am trying to trust in God and not be anxious.  But, He who can move mountains and move a massive people group from place to place successfully can certainly hold in His hand our little threesome, as we embark on our new academic year.  He is a big, big God!

Good morning, Lord!  I thank you that, literally, You "have the whole world in Your hands", as the song goes.  I can have supernatural peace which banishes my anxieties, remembering that fact. You have given us, Your children, Your strength and Your courage, to face the tasks prescribed for us today, to walk . . . resplendent.  And, we trust in You, to lead us wherever You would have us go today. I praise You, Almighty King Eternal!  In Jesus' name, amen.